All The Things He Didn't Notice
by MadHatterLilith
Summary: There were a lot of things he didn't notice before but lately, he'd learned a lot about Iida. Shouto wasn't sure why his eyes always followed him though.


He stayed after school all the time, cleaning up the classroom, tidying things up a bit. He apologized when he though someone from their class (usually Bakugo) crossed the line. He tried his hardest on every test and even held study sessions for struggling classmates. He led the class with confidence and sometimes with ease. Iida was a responsible young man.

People looked up to him as a model student of sorts. They teased him for being too serious sometimes. But he was kind to everyone and was loyal to his friends. He even reminded them every day to take care of themselves, especially when it came to Midoriya whose quirk seemed to only hurt him at the beginning of the year. Iida was a great friend and people liked him.

It was odd, all things he hadn't noticed before that were suddenly standing out to him now. Before, he barely cared about his classmates' likes and dislikes. But suddenly, everything was different after the sports festival. He accepted himself, his power, and made his first real friend in Midoriya. (Who he still believed was All Might's secret love child. There was too much proof for him to believe otherwise.)

He learned that Tokoyami liked apples but not when they were cooked. Tsu loved rainy days. Kirishima had a workout routine and Bakugo often joined him on his daily runs. Yaoyorozu was the best in the class at Scrabble, but Koda and Mina were the best at Charades. Sato knew over a hundred different recipes for all different sweets and was even trying to make some of his own. Aoyama loved stars but thought his "twinkle was brighter." Todoroki wasn't sure what that meant and didn't really want to ask. Midoriya probably had the biggest collection of All Might merchandise out of all the people he knew. And Iida...

Iida ran every day, writing down his scores and trying to do better every time. He practiced fighting with both his legs and his firsts, but it was clear which he preferred. He liked blueberry and cinnamon raisin muffins for breakfast. But if he had to choose one, he'd happily choose blueberry. He liked cream and one scoop of sugar in his coffee but tried not to drink it too often. Instead, he drank juice every morning and urged others to do the same for the sake of their health. He liked his helmet design but often wished it were easier to breathe in. His brother was his idol and he visited him all the time even after he was released from the hospital. (They got lunch after Tensei's physical therapy sessions.)

He came from a line of heroes and took pride in that. He has a collection of back up glasses on his wall just in case his main pair get broken. His legs were strong, but he trained his arms too. Iida was pretty buff over all. He had a great smile and even better laugh. He cared about Todoroki like they were friends.

Shoto hoped they were. He really wanted to be friends with him, not just because they fought Stain together, but because he thought Iida was a great person.

"Todoroki-kun!" Iida asked him one morning, "Would you like to go shopping with me?" Shoto almost dropped his mug out of suprise. "I noticed your jogging shoes were getting rather worn out, and I believe I know a place with great deals. They're having a sale right now, in fact."

"Yeah." Shoto agreed, though somewhat disappointed for a reason he couldn't quite place. "Thanks, Iida."

"My pleasure! We're friends after all!" Iida smiled and Todoroki's heart did a little leap of joy.

Iida was polite to everyone, especially people in stores. He even scolded a stranger for being rude. He was, of course, much more knowledgeable about all the types of shoes and kinds of support were best for jogging or running. Even the shop employees looked somewhat awed by him. And some of the young female customers were keeping an eye on him. Shoto didn't like that for some reason.

That's another thing he suddenly realized about Iida. He was a really attractive young man. It wasn't just his muscular body, but his smile, his dark eyes and hair, his laugh, his grin. He was attractive enough that it even affected Shoto...who never really thought much about that sort of thing before.

It certainly didn't help his confusion over his sudden attraction to Iida that his charms weren't just physical. He was dependable and supportive. You could trust him with any secret without fear of judgement. He was smart but didn't look down others because of his brains. He encouraged others to take care of themselves no matter what. He was responsible but not what others would call a wet blanket. He was...great. Just really great.

The next time they hung out, just the two of them, Iida asked him to lunch. "I found a nice place that serves wonderful soba. It's your favorite, isn't it, Todoroki-kun?"

"Yeah. Thank you, Iida." Shoto smiled. Though he didn't plan to do any running and though the red and white pattern didn't fit with his outfit, he wore the running shoes Iida helped pick out for him. They were his favorite.

The soba was wonderful. Iida had good taste, Shoto noted. The shop was a tiny, traditional Japanese style restaurant with friendly owners who teased them about being on a date. Iida's face burned red; Shoto's clothes burned. Oh, he'd accidentally activated his flames. The staff were still nice to them, even after he nearly set the place on fire in his embarrassment.

What nice people.

While they were walking back to the dorms, they talked. Not about anything deep or meaningful. Just normal stuff, like Iida's hobbies (reading, running, and recently writing fiction, all things Shoto already knew), how Todoroki managed to decorate his room the way he had ("I worked hard, that's all."), and school subjects they liked.

"When I was a child, I loved everything the same. I was just excited to learn! However, I can't say that hasn't changed in the years since. How about you, Todoroki-kun?" Iida smiled.

"I was homeschooled as a kid. I hated all of it because my father was teaching me. Though the worst was probably music. Neither of us could play the recorder." Despite the serious tone in Todoroki's voice, Iida found himself laughing at the mental image.

"I apologize for laughing; however, the image of the perpetually angry Endeavor trying to play a recorder..." To be fair, Iida was trying to hold himself back. But thinking back on it...Shoto slowly grinned and laughed along with him. It was a ridiculous image after all! Once Shoto started to laugh, Iida stopped, listening to the sound with a smile.

"Todoroki-kun, you have quite a nice laugh." Iida softly commented. Shoto stared at him, his smile still as bright and heart-stoping as ever and oh no. He didn't notice it before.

He was in love with Iida.

"Ah, Todoroki-kun! Your clothes are burning again!" He stared blankly at Iida as he continued to burn, completely oblivious to the fact that he was on fire.

This is what love was like?

It wasn't anything dramatic like in the books Fuyumi sometimes read. It wasn't an exciting feeling like songs described. If anything it was just soft and fluffy, like a cloud...and comforting.

"Ah, I'm fine." He finally extinguished his flames. (A bit late; he was already half shirtless.) "Let's go home, Iida." He smiled.

Love was nicer than he thought it would be.

The next time they spent time alone together, Shoto asked him out.

"Iida. Will you get lunch with me again today? As a date." He asked quite boldly without a hint of embarrassment. The class president smiled brightly in return.

"It'd be my pleasure, Todoroki-kun."


End file.
